


The Road Less Traveled

by Victoria_Sapphire



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alcohol, Alcoholic Annabeth Chase, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Awkward Tension, Quests
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-24 12:05:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15630348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Victoria_Sapphire/pseuds/Victoria_Sapphire
Summary: Annabeth Chase is picked to go on a quest to retrieve the Head of Hygeia with Perseus Jackson. It is just as uncomfortable and awkward as you'd imagine.





	1. The Quest's Receival

Annabeth held the tankard of ale up to her lips, preparing to take a swig. She heard the tavern door swing open, and the sound of hooves clopping on the floor caught her attention. Taking that long-wished-for swig of ale, she turned around. 

Chiron, the pleasant olden centaur who had been training heroes such as herself for years, was quickly trotting up to her. He had his bow on his back. The a green tunic wrapped around his chest. A pleasant smile was spread across his lips. He stopped when he reached the bar.

Annabeth sighed and looked up at him.

"What do you need?" she asked politely.

"I have something you must complete," Chiron reported.

"What is it you need done?" Annabeth responded.

"You need to go on a quest with Perseus Jackson. The two of you must recapture the famous artifact the Head of Hygeia," he ordered.

Annabeth fidgeted in her seat. She was unsure why, exactly, she had to go find the Head of Hygeia. Instead of thinking on it, she focused on the sound of the bard strumming his lute. She did not hear Chiron calling out her name for her to focus. 

"Annabeth! Focus! This is important!" Chiron exclaimed, snapping his fingers under her nose.

"Of course. Why must I retrieve the Head of Hygeia?" she asked.

"It is to be used for a festival of joyous sorts!" he announced.

Annabeth gritted her teeth and grumbled, "Yes, joyous festivals. I love those horribly so."

Chiron did not catch her sarcasm. She did not bring up that it _was_ sarcasm as she brought the tankard of ale up to her mouth again. He nestled himself on the ground, and he looked up at her. She took a much larger swig of ale than she had before, finishing off the tankard. She wiped the foaming froth from her mouth as she burped.

"Excuse me," she said. "Where might I find this Perseus Jackson?"

Chiron smiled and replied, "You will find him in the coastal town of Maritimam Oppidum."

Annabeth held onto the edge of the bar as she leaned back. As far as her studies served her, "Maritimam Oppidum" was Latin for "Seaside Village". The innkeeper refilled her mug of ale. She thanked him, and he nodded. The bard switched over from the lute to the flute. _Thank gods for that_ , Annabeth thought harshly. The bard, Austin Lake, excelled at everything except the lute. The sound of drachmas being flipped met her ears.

Annabeth tried to recall when the last time she had been to Maritimam Oppidum even was. She doubted she could remember what paths to take to get there. Just thinking about the quaint coastal town sent the scent of sea breeze flowing through her nostrils.

"Annabeth, are you still responsive?" Chiron asked after a while.

She hummed her reply and said, "Yes. Very much so, in fact."

Annabeth leaned forward and onto the bar. Chiron sighed and stood up.

"I see that you are accepting of this quest, and I will leave you in peace until you return with the Head of Hygeia," Chiron promised.

"Thank you, and I will return with the Head of Hygeia," she replied.

Chiron trotted out of the tavern, and Annabeth dug out six drachmas and paid the innkeeper for her drinks. She took a few sips of her ale and looked around. She turned to face the rest of the tavern's patrons. Finishing off her ale with a large chug, she smiled and waved goodbye to the innkeeper as she walked out the door.

Annabeth sniffed, taking in the crisp night air of the city of Artae. She walked down the closely-built cobblestone steps to the road made of the same-tightly packed cobblestone. The streets were relatively empty, and the night smelled of leafy greens and freshly fallen rain. She turned to the right and expertly navigated her way through the streets to her modest dwelling just a few blocks from the tavern.

Annabeth was so caught up in her thoughts that she tripped over a little girl's foot.

"Are you alright, madame?" the girl asked.

"Yes. I am alright," she responded.

"Would you like to buy some flowers? Freshly picked from the Polkus Meadow! Hydrangeas, lilies, roses, hyacinths, you name it, I am quite likely to have it!" the girl advertised.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow and inquired, "What compels you to be out at this hour? Do you not have parents to whom to go home?"

The girl fidgeted and took on a pained expression, and Annabeth realized her mistake. 

"I have to be out this late. There were no orphanages that would take me in, and my parents have perished in a fire on our farm years ago," the girl explained. She added after flinching, "I have to sell flowers to get by on my own."

The girl held out her basket of flowers and replaced her pained expression with a smile. 

"Would you like to buy some flowers?" she offered again.

Annabeth returned the smile and have her two drachmas for a small bouquet of hyacinths and hydrangeas. The girl thanked her for her patronage, and Annabeth walked off, waving goodbye to the girl. She wrapped her dark green sleeved shawl tighter around her, relishing in the warm comfort. Her knee-length green dress with gold trim, and green tights tucked over traveling boots.

Yes, the bottom half was generally considered a male's outfit, but it was practical. That was all Annabeth needed: practicality. She continued down the torch-lit street. She looked up and saw dark clouds rolling in over the twinkling night sky Lady Artemis had put up for her. She frowned and realized a storm was coming on. 

Soon, it began sprinkling down warm summer's rain. It fell across the bridge of Annabeth's nose, and she shivered in response. The rain felt nice. However, it was not desirable, as she was a block or two away from her home. She rounded a corner, and she was instantly hit with a wave of pouring rain. Thunder crackled. 

Annabeth rushed off to her house on the opposite end of the street. She threw open the wooden door and closed it behind her, latching it shut. She closed the thick shutters and closed them tightly. She trapped herself in her cold stone house while it rained legions outside. She lit the fire in her small hearth, and she looked around at her surroundings.

A pleasantly adorned bookshelf sat in one corner. A table with a small plate of Parmesan cheese and an apple sat in the opposite corner. A modest flight of wooden stairs lead up to the attic, where her small bed lay. An extra bed sat in the corner of the main room of the home for guests, which were very rare.

Annabeth smiled. This was home. This was the place she had bought with her hard-earned money from the job as the court wizardess's apprentice. She looked to her end table and saw her book on her studies, quill, and inkwell. She picked up the studying materials and she cracked open her book, prepared for a long night of studying.


	2. Castle Court

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth Chase is summoned to the castle court to have her quest cleared with the king and queen of Artae.

Annabeth sighed as she scoured her books for information on Gaea, the primordial goddess of the earth. She finally found something, and she logged it down on a piece of parchment that lay by her side. The roaring flames in the small hearth kept the cold of the stormy night at bay, but it would not last for long. A shiver was sent down her spine as she wrote down:

" _Gaea is the primordial goddess of the earth, as many may know. However, it is not common knowledge among us 'uneducated' peasants that she birthed the first series of gods: the Titans. After the Titan Lord Kronos was defeated at Zeus's hands just as Lord Kronos had slaughtered his own father Ouranos, Gaea was further demoted from power as the gods and goddesses we know today took over the world from the Titans and primordial gods, such as Chaos and Tartarus._

" _Gaea's allegiance then lay with Zeus, as Ouranos had bound their two first sets of triplets, the Hundred Handed Ones and the Elder Cyclopes, in chains of eternal darkness and deposited them in Tartarus because of their disfigurement._ "

Annabeth rubbed her face in confusion as to what to write next. She clawed at her brain, but nothing came forth. She sighed as she put up her books and set her parchment out to dry. She wrung out her hair and clothes as she walked upstairs, letting the blazing fire roar in the hearth. She slipped off her dress and changed into a plain white, thin nightdress. 

Annabeth made her way back downstairs and knelt down, face tilted to the shrine to her mother, Athena, on the mantle. She sliced off a bit of cheese from the platter and held it over the fire.

"Accept my offering to you, O Athena, goddess of wisdom, knowledge, crafts, and war," she prayed, dropping her portion of cheese into the flames.

It was engulfed in the roaring flames, and Annabeth stood back up and walked upstairs. She lifted the wolf-pelt blanket and nestled herself down on her mattress of hay. She drifted off into a restful, dreamless slumber.  
***************  
Annabeth woke to light streaming in between the boards on her ceiling and shutters. She threw open the shutters, letting in the pleasant sounds of morning into her attic bedroom. Birds chirped in the trees, people conversed in the market just a few streets down, horses neighed and snorted, hooves clopped on the street down below, and laughter drifted down the streets. The air smelled of general city smells, like horses, berries, and breads. The sky was blue and endless, and puddles were clustered on the ground from the heavy downpour the night before.

Annabeth took it all in with a smile. She turned around and ran back downstairs, where her parchment paper had dried. She put it on a chair in the corner library, and she dashed back upstairs, joy filling her soul. After all, she was a morning person. She dug through her small chest of drawers and pulled out a light pink dress that draped down to the floor. Lace strapped it together, and a hood was attached to the back. The sleeves were bell-bottomed and covered her hands.

Annabeth did not like to wear such kinds of dresses, but she had court with the king and queen, King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. She pulled on her dark brown boots (which were muddied from running through mud puddles the previous night) and let the end of the dress fall over them, hiding them from sight. She hiked up her skirts and walked downstairs with some trouble.

Annabeth cursed as she slightly tripped over her skirts. She caught herself against the wall, and she shook herself off. She walked over to the fireplace and sat down on the chair in the library. Her audience with King Arthur and Queen Guinevere was not until noon, and judging from the sun's position, it was around eight o'clock. So why not stick her nose in a good book?

Annabeth scoured the bookshelf for a book to read about architecture. She sighed upon seeing that she had read all the books she owned on the topic of architectural design. Desperate for something to do, she noticed a piece of parchment laying on the mantle next to the shrine to Athena. She stood up and picked it up, noticing that it had scrawled quickly across the top, "Grocery Items". 

Annabeth sighed once more and turned around, intending on going to the marketplace to buy what was on her list. She had various vegetables ("peasant food", as the nobles would call them) written on it, even things such as parchment (very expensive) and more books (much more expensive than parchment). She stuck the note into a small apothecary's satchel that was laying on a shelf in the other corner of the room.

Annabeth turned to the wooden door, prepared to face the day. She silently scolded herself for sleeping so late. She knew she had to be off on her adventure soon, and she had to make it to Maritimam Oppidum in time. Taking one quick look around the room, she finally opened the door and stepped into the world outside.

Annabeth latched her door shut behind her, and she looked around at her feeble garden. _That is something else I must do today_ , she reminded herself. She had to clean her garden and replace the old flowers with the new ones of summer. Her daffodils were wilting already, despite being planted in autumn a couple months back. She frowned as she turned back to the street.

A horse galloped by with no rider. Annabeth whirled around to face the direction from which the horse came. She saw a boy with close-cropped blonde hair rush past, shaking his fist and screaming after the horse. His sky blue eyes looked familiar, but she could not place where she had seen them before. 

Suddenly, it came to Annabeth. He was Thalia Grace's brother. She knew this, because Thalia was one of the court wizardess's apprentices. She would talk about her brother all the time, but she never said his name. Thalia was being trained with her electrokinesis powers as a daughter of Zeus. It did not make any sense as to how the court wizardess's, Hazel Levesque's, magic powers extended to something that only children of Zeus and Jupiter could do. 

Annabeth shook herself out of her thoughts as she pulled up her skirts again and took off after the boy. She knew it was informal and unfashionable to wear muddied boots underneath a beautiful dress, but she could not help it; they were her only pair of shoes, after all. She yelled after the boy, trying to catch his attention.

He looked about fifteen or sixteen, but it was hard to tell. Annabeth kept on shouting after him.

"Hey! Come back!" she exclaimed.

The boy kept calling after his horse, whom he called 'Tempest'. She put on a burst of speed and finally caught up with him, only a little out of breath.

"Who are you? Are you related to Thalia Grace in any way, shape, or form?" she asked, panting furiously.

"Can't talk! Gotta get the horse! _Tempest_!" the boy called out again.

Annabeth seemed content to just run with the boy, hoping that it would lead her back to the marketplace. The name of her companion came to her head just like that. _Jason Grace_. She smiled at herself for remembering his name. The boy, Jason, stopped screaming, and he stopped.

"Are you, by any chance, Jason Grace?" Annabeth inquired.

"Yes. Why do you ask such questions?" Jason shot back.

"I am just curious. Is it bad to be curious?" she questioned.

"Curiosity is a foolish reason to pursue knowledge," he said.

"Unless it is your career to gain knowledge, such as mine," she argued.

Jason did not have anything snarky to say. He just watched as his stormy blue steed galloped away. Annabeth raised an eyebrow and smirked at the fact that he was letting his horse run away. He looked back and glared at her, angry that he got caught up in talking to her. She shrugged and let her skirts drop, walking on.

"Wait!"

Annabeth jumped and turned around. Jason was briskly walking towards her, a determined look on his face. She got very uncomfortable for no reason whatsoever. He stopped, and he looked her dead in the eyes.

"I wish to go with you, wherever a fine young lady such as yourself should be going," Jason requested.

"Alright. If you are fine with going to the castle court and standing in front of the King and Queen themselves, I shall not object," Annabeth responded.

Jason took on a proud look and put his hands on his hips in triumph. Annabeth smiled and continued her path to the castle. There was no verbal exchange between she and him as they made their way to Castle Artae. They made it to the wide main street. It wrapped around a large above-ground cistern, and Annabeth immediately knew that a cobblestone pipe led to a much larger, more plentiful underground cistern.

Vendors chatted with their customers at stalls, and Annabeth grinned as she found a pleasantly hidden alleyway through which they could slip. She reached back and grabbed Jason's hand as she led him into the alleyway. They walked through the alley, and once they popped out on the other end, they were much closer to Castle Artae. 

Jason slipped his hand out of Annabeth's and blushed in embarrassment. Annabeth looked behind her to see him hiding his face. She had a mischievous thought pop into her head. However, she did not act upon it for reasons that shall remain undisclosed. Do what you will with this information. 

Annabeth led him through the streets and in front of the large stone steps that led up to the large, oaken drawbridge that lowered down into the outer courtyard of Castle Artae. She turned around, taking a giddy look at Jason. He still had an embarrassed look on his face. She smiled wider. She grabbed his wrist and jumped up the first step. He stumbled as he blindly followed.

Annabeth hopped up several more steps, and soon Jason was in the rhythm of it. She dropped his hand and began walking down the cobblestone path to the moat that separated the castle courtyard from the rest of Artae. The guards crossed their spears to bar entry into the large stone palace.

"No entry," one of them said.

"I come here as Annabeth Chase, apprentice of Hazel Levesque, on a courting with King Arthur and Queen Guinevere before being sent off on a quest," Annabeth explained.

The other guard jabbed his spear in Jason's direction.

"Who is he, then?" he asked.

Jason stepped forward and announced with a surprisingly calm and level voice, "I am Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, and I have accompanied Miss Annabeth Chase to her courting with King Arthur and Queen Guinevere."

The guard stumbled backward, seemingly surprised at the fact Jason was a son of Jupiter. Annabeth herself was immensely surprised. Although, she should not have been surprised. After all, he is the brother of _the_ Thalia Grace, the only other child of Zeus/Jupiter in Artae, and he _was_ her brother.

"That-That's not possible! Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades swore off children centuries ago, in the days of Ancient Greece!" the guard exclaimed.

Annabeth smirked and replied, "I do not think he is the only child of the Big Three that exists in the world. Something tells me that this 'Perseus Jackson' with whom I must go on a quest is also a child of the 'Big Three'."

The guards uncrossed their spears and let the drawbridge drop down. Annabeth flipped her hair behind her shoulder in triumph and walked forward onto the drawbridge, looking behind her and smiling at Jason when they stepped off of it into the outer courtyard. She laughed and scratched the back of her head.

"What an interesting turn of events that was!" she chuckled.

Jason smiled and mumbled, "Yes, an interesting statement..."

Annabeth took notice and furrowed her brow. Something seemed... _off_ about Jason's behavior.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No... It is just... Why do I get so much attention for being a son of Jupiter? I am just a normal demigod like you or Miss Levesque! I do not understand," he complained.

Annabeth looked forward into the green courtyard. Various types of flowers ringed the path. It was a sea of blues and pinks. Beautiful trees sprung up, giving shade. A couple of ponds were dug out and filled with water. Puddles still lined the pathways, despite having plenty of hot sun to evaporate them all. 

Annabeth put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips.

"Well, if you are going to be frumpy, I do not see why I have to take you with me! This has been such a wonderful bonding experience, though, and it would be a shame if you would have to leave early," Annabeth mused.

Jason seemed a bit caught off-guard. He jumped and looked around.

"What were you planning on doing with me?" he inquired, sounding frantic.

"Oh, nothing..." she responded.

He had no statement with which to respond. He just crossed his arms and pouted all the way to the inner courtyard. Large, oaken doors resembling the ones used for the drawbridge was the only thing separating them from King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. Annabeth leaned into them with all she had, and even then it took all the strength of Jason to push open the doors. They quickly closed the door, relishing the cool castle air.

Annabeth stood up and looked around. Knight's armor lined the entryway. Guards flanked the carpet. Swords and shields hung up like decorations on the walls. Tall, gothic-style, stained glass windows depicted the deeds of King Uther Pendragon and his predecessors. A couple were adorned with pictures of King Arthur assisting the people of Artae. She chuckled as she thought to herself, _King Arthur has not done anything that he is seen doing on the windows. He is putting that into our heads to fool us and make us think he is a good king. Should I write a report on that? Yes, I probably should._

Annabeth shook the blasphemous thoughts from her head as she approached King Arthur and Queen Guinevere on their thrones. She bowed deeply.

"Who be approaching our thrones?" King Arthur bellowed.

"Annabeth Chase and Jason Grace, your Majesty. You wanted to speak to us about the quest to retrieve the Head of Hygeia?" Annabeth introduced.

"Ah, yes. I remember now. You may stand up straight, now. You look like utter fools like that," King Arthur ordered.

"Yes, your Majesty," Annabeth said politely, performing the task he ordered her to do.

She did not want to anger the king. After all, he could end her life with a snap of his fingers if he truly wanted. She chewed on the bottom of her lip, fear and anxiety taking hold of her body. King Arthur hummed absentmindedly. Annabeth did not know what went on in his head, nor did she want to know. 

"I grant permission for you to be sent on this quest. You will leave tomorrow at eight o'clock _sharp_. Do _not_ let me catch you lingering around Artae any longer than that. You have two weeks to bring back the Head of Hygeia," he ordered. 

Annabeth bowed again, and when Jason did not bow, she motioned for him to do it. He bowed as he began backing to the door. She glared at him, and he stopped moving. She shot him a pleased smile and stood up straight once again. She awaited the order to be dismissed back to her home.

"You are dismissed," King Arthur allowed, waving them out of his sight.

Annabeth spun around on her heel and made her way back to the door, looking over at Jason. She gave him another smile as they worked together to push open the heavy doors. Hot, humid air flooded into the cool castle throne room. They dashed out into the inner courtyard, and they closed the door to the castle.


End file.
